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Downloadable They Spoke Out Peter Bergson (Hillel Kook) ©2004 by Rafael Medoff & The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies On a cold November morning in 1942, Peter Bergson was worried he would be criticized if he opened the opened the Washington Post and was shocked to gates. FDR claimed there was nothing that could be read that the U.S. government had confirmed that at done for the Jews until after America and its allies least two million Jews in Europe had been murdered defeated Germany in the war. To make matters by the Nazis. Bergson later called it “the most worse, Roosevelt’s State Department tried to block traumatic day in my life.” news about the Holocaust from reaching the Ameri- can public, and even quietly interfered with some Bergson was a 27 year-old Zionist activist from opportunities for rescue. Jerusalem who had come to America to seek the public’s support for the idea of establishing a Jewish A third obstacle was that some American Jews state in British Mandatory Palestine (the Land of were opposed to organizing protests on behalf of Israel). His real name was Hillel Kook, but because European Jewry. They feared that such Jewish he came from a well-known family—his uncle was protests might provoke anti-Semitism in America. the Chief Rabbi of Palestine—he decided to use a They were also nervous about being seen as oppos- pseudonym so that his family would not be embar- ing the president in the midst of a world war. rassed if he took part in controversial protests over- seas. Determined to press for rescue The news that two million Jews lay dead—and despite these millions more were in danger of becoming Hitler’s obstacles, next victims—convinced Bergson to set aside his Bergson estab- other concerns and focus all his attention on the plight lished a new of European Jewry. organization, the Emergency But a campaign in America to rescue Jews from Committee to Hitler faced major obstacles. First, not too many Save the Jewish Americans knew what Hitler was doing to the Jews. People of Europe. Most newspapers put the news about the mass Although there murders on the back pages, or even ignored it. In were many fact, the article that Bergson saw in November 1942, organizations in Peter Bergson which changed his life, was only a few paragraphs the Jewish com- (Hillel Kook) long, buried on an inside page of the newspaper munity, none of 1901-1992 where fewer readers saw it. them were devoted exclusively to the issue of rescuing Jews from THINK ABOUT IT: Aren’t you more Hitler. And none of them used the kind of unique likely to take a news report seriously and creative protest tactics that Bergson was to if it is on the front page, rather than on employ. an inside page, and if it is a long article, rather than just a few paragraphs? For example, to help make the American public aware of the Holocaust, Bergson’s group sponsored The second major obstacle Bergson faced was that a dramatic pageant called “We Will Never Die.” It President Roosevelt opposed taking any special action featured famous Hollywood actors, and was per- to help Jewish refugees. Most Americans were formed at Madison Square Garden in New York opposed to letting in more refugees and Roosevelt City, and then in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston, and at the Hollywood Bowl in Los and comedians Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Carl Reiner, Angeles. More than one hundred thousand Americans and Groucho and Harpo Marx. attended performances of “We Will Never Die,” and for many of them, it was the first time they learned The Bergson group was also successful at convincing about the Nazi massacres of the Jews. members of other ethnic groups to join the calls for rescue. For example, Bergson attracted support from The Bergson group also organized many public rallies. many prominent African-Americans, such as singer- One, which was held just before Yom Kippur in 1943, actor Paul Robeson, poet Langston Hughes, labor was a march in Washington by over 400 rabbis to union leader A. Philip Randolph, and author W.E.B. appeal to President Roosevelt to save Jewish refu- DuBois. In his practice of what is today called gees. But the president refused to meet with the “coalition politics,” Bergson was ahead of his time. rabbis. He understood the need to work together with groups that might disagree with him on other issues, but THINK ABOUT IT: Can you recall other agreed with him on the issue that was most important examples of Jewish or non-Jewish to him—rescuing Jews from Hitler. protests in Washington, D.C.? THINK ABOUT IT: Why was it significant Another important part of Bergson’s campaign for that celebrities supported the Bergson rescue was the placement of full-page advertisements group? How did their involvement help in newspapers around the country. The ads used the cause? catchy slogans and shocking headlines, such as “How Well Are You Sleeping? Is There Something You Lobbying Congress was another key part of the Could have Done to Save Millions of Innocent People Bergson group’s work . Bergson activists went door from Torture and Death?” and “Time Races Death: to door on Capitol Hill, informing Members of Con- What Are We Waiting For?” Many of the ads were gress about the plight of European Jewry and pleading written by Bergson’s close friend Ben Hecht. During for the U.S. government to intervene. In November the 1930s and 1940s, Hecht was one of the best- 1943, Bergson persuaded prominent Congressmen to known writers in the Hollywood movie industry. (He introduce a resolution calling for the creation of a worked on such famous films as “Gone With the federal government agency to rescue refugees. Wind.”) When he heard the news about the Nazi Holocaust, Hecht began using his talents to promote The Roosevelt administration objected to the resolu- the rescue issue. tion, but when it became clear that Congress was ready to pass it anyway, President Roosevelt an- THINK ABOUT IT: If it was your job to nounced the creation of the agency that the resolution design the next Bergson group newspa- demanded—the War Refugee Board. During the final per ad, what kinds of headlines might fifteen months of World War II, the Board played a you use? major role in the rescue of more than 200,000 Jews Bergson and Hecht were especially effective at from Hitler. (Among other things, the War Refugee persuading celebrities to support the rescue campaign Board sponsored the work of rescue hero Raoul and to add their names to the Emergency Wallenberg.) Committee’s newspaper ads. Bergson’s supporters included many Members of Congress, governors, These efforts demonstrated that Bergson had been prominent writers and artists, and famous entertain- right all along—rescue was indeed possible. How ers—such as actor Marlon Brando, boxing champion many more might have been rescued if FDR had Barney Ross, singers Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, heeded their pleas earlier? The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies On the campus of Gratz College 7605 Old York Road - Melrose Park, PA 19027 Tel: (215) 635-5622 - Fax: (215) 635-5644 www.WymanInstitute.org.
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